Science Background

Potential Job Roles and Salaries

What kind of roles would I be suitable for based on my science/lab background?

If your CURRENT or PREVIOUS job was in SCIENCE/LAB, you could perform the SAME OR SIMILAR job within the pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturing industry.

Here are some of the typical roles and the expected salaries:

Biochemist

Scientific professionals who study and explore the chemical processes with biological organisms. Within the pharmaceutical industry, biochemists are employed within research and development departments as well as within quality teams in manufacturing departments.

Starting Salary: €35,000 to €40,000
After 2 Years: €40,000 to €45,000
After 5 Years: €45,000 to €60,000

Starting Salary: $65,744
After 2 Years: $82,180
After 5 Years: $98,616

Laboratory Technician

Assist industry scientists in their research and testing. This can involve a number of different tasks and these tasks can vary greatly between roles. Within the pharmaceutical industry, laboratory technicians can be employed in research and development or in production and manufacturing. As a result, the work can be based in a laboratory or on a production line, depending on the specific responsibilities of the role.

Starting Salary: €25,000 to €28,000
After 2 Years: €28,000 to €32,000
After 5 Years: €32,000 to €35,000

Starting Salary: $39,816
After 2 Years: $49,770
After 5 Years: $59,724

Microbiologist

A scientific professional who studies microorganisms. They play a key role in pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturing by testing to monitor levels of microbial contamination at all stages of the manufacturing process.

Starting Salary: €28,000 to €33,000
After 2 Years: €33,000 to €45,000
After 5 Years: €45,000 to €53,000

Starting Salary: $61,480
After 2 Years: $76,850
After 5 Years: $92,220

What other roles in pharma manufacturing could I retrain for with a lab/science background?

Retrain for Starter Quality Control Analyst Roles in Pharma Manufacturing. Take our “Fundamental in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing” program so you can use your lab skills to work in a QC Role in the pharmaceutical industry.